


Antisocial Social Club

by CactuarNation



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Budding Love, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, First Dates, Friendship/Love, M/M, Multi, Sarcasm, punk!Will Solace, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 17:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12486864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CactuarNation/pseuds/CactuarNation
Summary: Will has been updating Nico's taste in music and finds himself spending more and more time with him. Nico becomes more outgoing now that he has a friend to be outgoing with. Will starts rebelling more now that he has someone to rebel with. Together they becomethatcynical duo with a witty retort for nearly anything. But they've both got, like, emotions and stuff under their aloof exteriors. You just have to read between the lines.Started as a oneoff with punk!Will but I ended up liking their dynamic and may write more when I've got some time.





	1. Oh, No. I Unintentionally Left My iPod in Your Room On Accident.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any thoughts or criticism, please feel free to leave a comment, they really do keep me going!
> 
>  
> 
> I'll do my best to respond to your comments and will keep your feedback in mind for future chapters.  
>   
> 

“I liked your sense of style,” Will said while Nico thumbed through his clothes, looking for something to lend him.

 

“What, black shirts from Walmart? Thanks.”

 

“Yeah. I mean, I didn’t say it was good, I just said that I liked it.”

 

“What a guy! I’m so lucky,” Nico deadpanned clutching his hands together with mock joy. “I like this,” he added as a side note with a nod to the speaker playing the wailing guitar in the background. Will knew that Nico knew he wasn’t actually being critical. Nico had dressed simply which is what most campers did in wartime. Even so, his all black wardrobe definitely caught Will’s eye.

 

“That’s so funny because that’s exactly what _everyone’s_ been saying and they’re right. You’re welcome.” Will paused a beat before addressing his second comment. “I thought it’d be your kind of thing.”

 

They’d bonded over music and sarcasm in the few days Nico stayed in the infirmary. Will considered himself a lover of all music, and brought Nico a variety of genres to map out his tastes and keep him from feeling too trapped or bored. On the second day he brought a post-hardcore mix and knew he nailed it after he saw the way Nico’s eyes lit up when the guitar came in screeching like a siren. 

 

From then on, his tastes had been adorably easy to predict; Nico liked his music angsty and shrill. It had been a week or two since Nico had left the infirmary but Will was still happy to supply him with playlists and burnt CDs. 

 

He came to visit Nico in his cabin since he was something of a homebody. Will thought the company was good for Nico, and for himself too. They’d both changed for the better, it seemed, and drastically. Will offered stability and openness that helped Nico come out of his shell. Nico offered intrigue and social apathy that helped Will make bolder choices and care less about what other’s thought.

 

Nico had started socializing more and would play off his former aloofness to deliver the most killer one-liners. His sense of humor matched up well with Will’s own wit which was becoming drier each day they spent together. They had gotten to a point where they could set up jokes for each other and they usually got a couple snickers from other campers whenever they realized the two weren’t actually serious. 

 

Will, having gotten back into his darker music tastes, had started dressing the part somewhat too. In addition to the music, he had planned on introducing Nico to alternative fashion (he was practically already there anyway) but had ended up adopting it himself. He’d considered dying his hair black for fun, but he felt like people would think he was either imitating Nico, or worse Percy, so he opted for a green that had since faded into lime instead.

 

“This okay?” Nico offered Will a tattered but thick black hoodie that was probably too small. His cabin was well insulated, either by construction or by magic he wasn’t sure. But it keptout pretty much any outside heat and short sleeves weren’t really an option. Which may have been why Will chose his sleeveless Pixies shirt.

 

“Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks,” He said slipping it on. “You know, you can keep the iPod if you want. You’d probably use it more than I would. It’s made with celestial bronze and everything.” 

 

“Oh, I couldn’t accept that. Thanks though.”

 

“I really don’t mind. Trust me.” Will chuckled and tried to seem earnest.

 

“Well, I’ll think about it.” 

 

They both knew that he wouldn’t, but Will decided to let it go and nodded subtly to let his friend know it was cool. They sat comfortably without speaking for a few minutes to actually listen to the playlist Will had made. Nico had closed his eyes, but took the brief pause between songs as his cue to open them and pick the conversation back up. 

 

“You know what though?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I wish records were still a thing. I don’t know.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I don’t know. I guess it’s nostalgia?”

 

“True, I can get that. Practically speaking, I think it’d be a pain to have to flip them or like pick up the needle to replay a song though.”

 

“But see that’s actually part of it! Like, that encourages you to listen to the full album, you know? Rather than picking and choosing the songs you like, you learn to appreciate it as a whole.” 

 

“Huh, I haven’t thought of it that way.” Will took a few moments to pause and consider Nico’s point. “Oh, but I was actually asking what you meant about them not being a thing earlier. They’re still a thing, you know.”

 

“Oh, well old ones yeah, I’m sure. But not music like this.”

 

“No, they make new records too, actually.”

 

Nico jumped up to look Will in the eye. “What!? Really?”

 

“Yeah, man. They’re kind of niche, but definitely a thing.”

 

“Where do you get them?”

 

“Music stores. Some even sell records specifically. Or like, online.” Nico waved his hand at that.

 

“Nah, I’d rather go in person.”

 

“Fair enough. Want to see if there are any nearby?”

 

“What. Yes.” 

 

True to his word, they found a list of the nearest record stores after a quick search. Nico was apparently very into the idea. He asked Will if he’d want to shadow travel there and sounded _eager_. 

 

Nico was either serious or snarky _most_ of the time, and that percentage jumped when he was alone and around other people. So it made sense that most others wrote him off as a brooding loner. But when they were together, Will had noticed that Nico actually had a cute, excitable, even at times obnoxious side to his personality. Will liked peeking behind the mask Nico showed to the world and was glad that he was letting himself relax more often.

 

“So, do you wanna do it?” Nico extended his hand for him to take. As if Will could refuse.


	2. Valentines in September Is Not A Thing, Laura

Nico’s cabin had no windows and they’d been talking for hours so they weren’t sure what to expect outside. At first they’d been on high alert, but no monsters showed and they relaxed some. Will looked around while Nico caught his breath from the trip. 

 

It was light out, but overcast. The sun shone through breaks in the clouds and cast everything in a pale gray light. It looked like they’d ended up behind the building but Will realized they hadn’t even checked the time or the store’s hours before they left. 

 

We should have definitely checked the store hours,” Will added and Nico smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand. 

 

“Dang, sorry. I just got so excited–“

 

“It’s okay, man,” Will unintentionally cut him off. “I was too. The clouds make it hard to tell what position the sun’s in, but something tells me it’s early morningish.”

 

_“_ Should’ve checked the weather too.” Nico said almost to himself. At first, Will was too in his head and didn’t catch what he said, but then realized he was referring to the mist that would probably become rain in a couple of hours. 

 

He mused that the sunny showers were almost an allegory for the two boy’s blending personalities and wondered if it was an omen. No way in hell was he going to say that out loud though. They started to make their way around to the front and Will made a silent deal with himself: _if the shop’s open it’s definitely an omen._

 

_No, that’s stupid,_ he chastised himself and decided not to get his hopes up. Instead, he kept his eyes on his scuffed boots and his mind on the crunchy sound of the pebbles and slick pavement underfoot which, thanks to his ADHD, didn’t last long. 

 

It was egotistical to think Aphrodite or somebody was watching this right now. _Wait, crap_ , Will thought. _I shouldn’t have thought her name, I just called attention to us. Sorry, Lady Aphrodite! I didn’t mean to disturb you! Please don't mind us!_ He thought he should change his line of thought before he guaranteed today became the pilot for some godly soap opera.

 

“Weather’s fine,” he mumbled. “and you never know. They might have some memorabilia umbrellas inside. I’m not too worried about it though.” Will honestly didn’t care; this was perfect record store weather. 

 

Nico mmed in response. Peppiness side aside, Nico did tend to be quiet. They were both pensive types though, so they could coexist comfortably in near silence and would often have large gaps in their response time. They had an understanding that it wasn’t antisocial, they just wanted to process before answering, if a comment needed an answer, that is.

 

The thought made him remember that he’d become close to Nico. But despite his earlier request to a certain deity to be left alone, he still sort of hoped the store was open or there was some kind of sign.

 

They _would_ occasionally flirt or make jokes as if they were dating. But those were just jokes most guys made and nothing had really been confirmed. The insecure part of him worried Nico didn’t see him in that way. And then there was the whole Percy thing, but Will dispersed that thought.

 

When they turned the corner Will recognized the store by its cheapy sign proclaiming it  **MELA E NIS RECORDS** . He could see the lights were on inside and suppressed the urge to start giggling.

 

"Is that Italian?" Will asked, still facing up at the sign. 

 

"Maybe, but it doesn't really make sense. It's like apple and...nis." 

 

"Apples can have nieces?"

 

"No, like, that's how n-i-s would be pronounced in Italian. Could be the names of the owners. Or maybe it's Portuguese or something, I don't know." 

 

They shrugged it off and walked to the door. Though Will had been deliberately forming his face into a cool smirk, he quickly forgot it when he saw the Closed sign with the hours of operation listed below. He was about to groan out an _Awww man,_ but Nico spoke up first.

 

“Guess we’ve got half an hour,” Nico stated plainly. 

 

“Huh?”

 

Nico motioned toward the flashing green, orange, and red LED clock in the insurance office window next door. 

 

“Shop opens at eight. It’s seven thirty-three.” _Thank gods._ Will had worried they’d gotten here hours early.

 

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see that.” Hm, maybe this wasn’t going to be romantic after all, or at least they hadn’t been spotted by any gods that might interfere. _But the shop’s almost open, does that almost count?_ Will didn’t know what it meant. Ultimately, he decided the record store’s opening time wasn’t a sign that he and Nico would live happily ever after. Across the street a small cafe _was_ open though and seemed like as good of an option as any to kill time. “Want to get some breakfast, or coffee or whatever?”

 

“Sure, I could go for a coffee.”

 

They continued in the cafe’s direction, but halfway across the street Nico picked up the pace and excitedly bounced over. The way he ran reminded Will of a puppy playing fetch and he felt obligated to match his energy. He jogged after him to get out of the street and see what was up.

 

“Will, it’s an Italian cafe!” Will understood his excitement now, and the look on his face was too much. 

 

_Lady Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, she who has clearly blessed this boy, because I mean just look at him, I don’t wan’t to force anything. I ask only that if he likes me too, please let us work out. And if we don’t work out, let it be for the better._ He decided to be specific because the gods were occasionally mischievous. _Like as a couple, not like, exercise together. And sorry for being so wishy-washy. And please don’t broadcast our relationship, like if you don’t mind. Thank you._

 

 

He walked in a deliberately slow pace until he met up with Nico to give himself time to pray. But Nico was already by the door.

 

“Whatcha singing?”

 

“Huh?” 

 

“I saw you singing to yourself just now.”

 

“Oh, the Macarena.” Nico decided to ignore him and move on.

 

“Hey, they have espresso!” 

 

“Which’ll stunt your growth!” He responded in singsong and patted Nico’s head. “No wonder you’re so tiny.”

 

“Don’t forget I can kick your ass!” Nico sang back and added a couple playful jabs to Will’s stomach. 

 

“I’m a lover _and_ a fighter, okay?” Will said opening the door for Nico.

 

“Oh, okay, so you’re a wimp,” Nico added offhand, then breezed by to get in line.

 

Will followed him in and lowered his voice, both out of courtesy to the other patrons and to sound like he was scolding a child in public. “Nico, please; restrain yourself. It’s too early for that kind of verbal _assault,”_ he whispered with mock offense.

 

“Do I have to muzzle you? This is a nice place, okay? Quit broadcasting our lack of class,” he replied in a similar tone.

 

“Excuse me, _I_ am _very_ classy. These are slanderous lies and neither I nor anyone else in this restaurant will stand for it.”

 

“Oh, you took a poll?”

 

“I didn’t have to. It’s written all over their faces. I mean, look at them.” Will subtly motioned toward an elderly man who had fallen asleep presumably next to his wife who was brushing toast crumbs off her mouth. Nico bit his lips and looked absolutely furious which Will knew meant he was trying hard not to laugh. He gave Will and then the cashier a chilling death glare that amused Will all the more because Nico probably had no idea how terrifying he looked.

 

The cashier awkwardly took his order for a plain espresso. “Um…we have a Valentine’s Day in September special? Two-for-one espresso for couples…if you…want…?” The woman whose name tag read “L A U R A” offered trailing off, noticeably treading lightly to not offend them. Will raised an eyebrow and wondered if they seemed like a couple or if she had to ask every pair that came in. Either way, that had to be the fastest response Will had gotten from a god. He was almost certain they were on tv right now.


	3. Gross, I Guess I Want to Make Out With You. I Guess.

 

 

“Well, if it’s two-for-one, sure,” Nico said comfortably.

 

Will sang Nico’s height under his breath, but was _screaming_ in his head. He made sure to thank the goddess.

 

“Americans are wiiiiiiimps,” Nico sang handing a card to Laura before turning his eyes down to the counter. “Uh…No offense.” 

 

“Hey man, I’m Italian,” the she said good-naturedly.

 

Nico replied with “Oh, weird.” in the same tone anyone else might reply with a polite _Oh, cool_ and thanked her before stepping out of line to wait for his coffee. Thankfully it seemed like Laura got Nico’s sense of humor, and laughed with an expression that said _Huh. Okay, that happened._

 

Will had noticed that Nico would occasionally do or say things outside of usual social etiquette like that. He hadn’t figured out whether he was trying to be funny or if it was just due to his prior social isolation. Either way, Will had borrowed some of his habits and had fewer inhibitions after meeting him, but sometimes he felt the need to compensate for Nico or explain that he meant no harm to strangers that might otherwise take offense.

 

Laura had been cool, but he didn’t want to press their luck with her and risk messing up her morning or having anyone anyone to spit in their coffee. So he decided to order in a friendly and normal manner when he stepped up to let her know he had a separate order and that both orders would be to-go, since Nico forgot to specify. He knew Nico would be taking both espressos, so he got himself a white chocolate mocha and threw in a pre-wrapped sandwich before moving to wait beside his friend.

 

The espresso came out first in a pair of miniature to-go coffee cups with little pink heart designs on them. Part of Will worried how Nico would react, but he also knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t so easily fazed. As he expected, Nico picked them up without comment and was sipping his first when Will’s order came up. Nico snorted at his drink. 

 

“Nice choice, Starbucks.” 

 

“Thanks, Malibu Barbie; I like how size appropriate yours is,” Will gestured toward his tiny shots of espresso, amused at the contrast between his edgy appearance and the cutesy coffee cups.

 

“Wow, going for the throat, huh?”

 

“Hey, you started it. Don’t be mad you brought a knife to a gunfight.”

 

“The heck? Why’re you bringing a gun to a knife fight, sociopath.” Will stalled for a few seconds while he tried to come up with a retort, but eventually accepted that he’d run out of time. 

 

“Well, at least I don’t use my friends to get free stuff.” 

 

“First, you one hundred percent would if you could. Second, what was that, like 20 seconds? That was not worth the wait; I should win by default.” 

 

“Whatever.”

 

Nico, clearly feeling the caffeine, did a little victory dance. “Heh, I win.”

 

“Incorrect. You win this round.” He managed, pointing to a two seater by the window, hoping Nico wouldn’t decline. He was still gloating while he followed Will and didn’t seem to be aware of the romantic implications.

 

“I’m sorry, what was the first part of that sentence? I, what? I win?”

 

“Bully,” was his last resort when he was running out of quips. He took a couple napkins out of the dispenser to form a makeshift plate for his sandwich.

 

“Yep!” Nico laughed and leaned across the table to poke Will’s ribs which tickled. He inadvertently yelped louder than he’d meant to and turned bright red. 

 

“I am never going out with you again.” Nico seemed to only just remember that they were in public and for a moment he looked crestfallen then at his hands.

 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to go too far or whatever…” he mumbled peering off to the side.

 

Will unwrapped his sandwich then and considerately rewrapped it in a napkin, and nudged Nico’s knuckles, offering him half. “You should be sorry. I’m also never giving you a double shot of espresso again.” Nico took the sandwich but didn’t look entirely reassured. Will gave his foot a gentle kick. “Hey, no worries. I like your weird mischievous side,” he said with a laugh to hopefully add some levity.

 

“I’m just sorry that you have such bad taste.”

 

“What, in coffee or guys?” Nico’s raised his eyes at the second option and studied Will. “Friends. Like my taste in guy…friends.”

 

“Are you into guys?” Nico just flat-out asked. Will didn't expect his pathetic sitcom excuse to hold weight, but he didn’t expect Nico to be so blunt either.

 

“I mean, like…obviously.” He didn’t know what else to say.

 

“What, no way,” Nico said casually. “That’s cool. Are we on a date?” he asked just as matter of fact.

 

“Nah, man. I mean…” Will didn’t know what he meant or what was going through Nico’s head right now so he decided to play it safe. “I don’t think…I mean, right?” 

 

“Dunno.” Nico took a bite of the sandwich and looked outside. Will had no idea what to make of it. He wasn’t thirsty anymore, but sipped his coffee anyway just to give himself something to do.

 

He eventually decided to say something. “Oh, cool. Same.” Nico smirked and looked back at him.

 

“If this were a date, which one of use would be wooing the other?”

 

“Don’t be gross. And I’ve obviously already wooed you.” Will decided to just suck it up and risk it.

 

“No, I’m pretty sure I reverse Stockholm-syndromed you.” _Phew._

 

“Doubt it. I regular Stockholm-syndromed you.”

 

“The truth comes out.”

 

Will tsked and rolled his eyes. “I hate you.” 

 

“Too late! You already admitted that you like me.” With that established, Will tried to figure out where Nico stood.

 

“Pfft, only because your crush on me is so obvious and I felt bad.” 

 

“You keep calling things that are not obvious obvious. I kept that crush,” Nico tapped the table with each syllable for emphasis, “Un. Der. Wraps.”

 

“Well, you did a,” Will mimicked him and tapped the table numerous times out of sync with his words, “Bad. Job,” and added a few more taps for flair. Despite his words, Will was surprised to hear that Nico had a secret crush on him too.

“And yet, _I’m_ the bully.” 

 

“I think it’s fair to say we bully each other,”

 

“Well this works out–“

 

“So, cool–“ they both started at the same time and chuckled at the weirdness of it. 

 

“Guess we’re dating,” Will said, not quite a question, but not a firm statement either. 

 

“I guess. I mean we practically have been for a while.” He wasn’t wrong but it was still nice to hear. Will could tell that he was grinning like an idiot but didn’t bother trying to conceal it. _Thank you Aphrodite. Thank you, thank you, thank you._

 

“I can’t decide whether I pity you or envy you.”

 

“I’d be offended if that wasn’t so relatable. I’d hate and love to date myself too.”

 

“Oh, I just meant in general.” 

 

“I want a divorce.” 

 

“You can’t divorce me, I’m calling 911,” Will held his half of the sandwich to his ear like a phone.

 

“That’s it, I’m suing you for damages before I divorce you.”

 

“What damages? Besides, I don’t have any money, you know tha–Oh, hello officer.” Will turned his head and stared into the distance as if accepting a call. “Yes, that’s right. I have him right here.” He turned back to Nico and nonchalantly whispered “You’re under arrest.”

 

“What?” Nico scoffed and held his sandwich to his ear too. “Hello, get me Olympus. N–No, Olympus. I’m trying to reach Olympus. Hello? Damn tomatoes.” Nico picked a tomato out of his sandwich and into his mouth. “Can barely hear a thing.”

 

Will burst into laughter and Nico broke character to laugh along with him. “Wow, okay yeah, I kinda see why I like you.”

 

“Kinda? That’s rude.”

 

“Think Melanie's is open now?”

 

"Wha..?"

 

"The record store."

 

“Oh, yeah! Not its name, by the way, but um…” Nico looked out the window to the clock across the street. “Eight..twenty…something? I don’t know, I can’t see it from here, can you? I think it’s after eight, unless that’s a five instead of a two.” 

 

Will looked for a clock in the cafe instead and found one on the wall behind Nico. “Got it the second time; it’s seven fifty one. We’ve got some time to finish at least.” 

 

“And we don’t have to get there exactly at eight,” Nico said, taking another big bite of the sandwich, which Will mirrored. 

 

Will took a moment to swallow enough to speak before adding his input. “True. They’d probably hate us if we did anyway.” Will felt comfortable enough to push the last bit of his sandwich into his already full mouth. He rolled his eyes back in his head in mock satisfaction.

“Sick. Can you chew your food?”

 

“Can you act like you aren’t dying to suck it out of my mouth?” It only came out a little muffled.

 

Nico shoved him on the shoulder. “You’re so gross.”

 

“I know.”


	4. Do I Have to Pretend I Can't Hear You Pee?

Nico downed the second shot in a single gulp, and opened the first cup to stack the second inside. He held the last bit of his sandwich with his teeth while he crumpled his napkin and shoved it into the two cups and replacing the stacked lids. Will watched him make his garbage as compact as possible, then push the last of his sandwich into his mouth. 

 

He didn’t know why, but for some reason it felt intimate. It was so thoughtful and methodical, and all the while Will was thinking that if it were him, he’d do the exact same thing. Nico must have noticed him staring because he looked up at him self-consciously and pushed the food he was chewing into his cheek in order to speak. “What?”

 

“Nothing, we just think alike.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Will laughed. “Nothing, it’s dumb. I would’ve just done that too, with the cups and everything.”

 

“Oh.” Nico didn’t seem to have a snappy comeback for that and gave a little shrug. “It just makes sense.”

 

“Yeah,” Will smiled at their genuine and awkward exchange. Nico lazily rested his opposite cheek on his fist while he ate and glanced at Will before looking outside. 

 

It didn’t have much bearing on anything and was just a random, ordinary point in time. But there was something delicate and pleasant about this moment. Exquisite, was the word he was looking for. They seemed to have a silent understanding that they needed a few seconds to take it all in before moving on.

 

Will knew their joke with the sandwiches would probably become the official first date memory they would retell. But for some reason, he could feel his brain recording these few seconds in vivid detail. The feeling passed though, and he felt that the time for silent contemplation was running out. Nico probably wouldn’t break the silence so Will decided to say something.

 

“Ready to go?” He didn’t actually intend to suggest leaving, but it was the only thing that made sense and the first thing that came to mind. The cafe was experiencing a morning rush and it was probably best to let someone else have the table anyway, even if he could have stayed there for a few more hours or days. 

 

“Yeah, but I think I have to use the restroom first.”

 

“I’m definitely never letting you have espresso again.”

 

“That’s accurate because you’re not the boss of me and I can do what I want.”

 

“Okay, okay. Go pee.”

 

Nico picked up his Trash Lite, waiting for Will to grab his mostly full coffee before he hopped up from the table. “I never said what I had to do in the restroom. Maybe I have to wash my face.”

 

“Oh, do you have to wash your face? Do you need any help?” Will asked as if genuinely interested, following Nico through the cafe to the archway marked Restrooms. “Maybe I should wash mine too, I bet this does have a lot of sugar. I don’t want to break out.” 

 

They turned into the small dark wood paneled almost-hallway with an almost-clean water fountain. There was just a single door that implied a one room unisex bathroom which Nico paused in front of. “Hilarious. Your face is fine.”

 

“Oh, really?” He leaned down and put his face at Nico’s eye level. He was close enough that he could feel Nico’s slight breath from his open mouth. Maybe it was because they’d finally hammered out their relationship status, or because they had a small degree of privacy in this little nook, Will didn’t know what was driving him, but he felt a surge of confidence. “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

 

Nico seemed just as surprised as Will was. His gaze flitted down to his lips then back up to make eye contact through his lashes and nodded slightly. Will moved his free hand up and gently combed his fingers through the hair at the nape of Nico’s neck, resting his palm along his jaw. He suddenly felt devilish and pecked Nico’s nose instead. “Good to know.”

 

“Wait, _what?_ That’s it?” Nico looked up at him with a cheshire grin that Will didn’t expect. 

 

“Oh, sorry. I have bad aim.”

 

“I want my money back,” Nico demanded, seeming genuinely pleased.

 

“You haven’t paid me,” he threw back with mock bitterness.

 

“I’m impressed.” 

 

“What, really?”

 

“Yep. You really got me. Not just anyone can do that, you know. I even forgot where I was for a second.”

 

Will realized he played with Nico’s emotions and started to feel bad. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t me–“

 

“Why are you apologizing?” Nico shook his head in a little motion with an expression thatsaid _What? Are you dumb?_

 

“Well…” Will didn’t know what to say.

 

“I’m actually kind of relieved, dude; I don’t want our first kiss to by a bathroom. Besides, my expert pranking skill is _obviously_ rubbing off on you,” he said, probably referencing Will’s overuse of the word earlier.

 

“Oh.” Will paused for a moment trying to find his footing. “I mean, technically that was our first kiss, so.”

 

“No, that was our first peck.” 

 

“A peck is a type of kiss.”

 

“But it’s not the same as a capital K Kiss.”

 

“Capital K Kiss is a band, and I prefer speed metal to glam.”

 

Nico flicked his forehead. “Okay, I’m going to the bathroom now. I don’t have the strength to deal with this.”

 

“Oh, so…I…” Will paused for effect, “…win?” 

 

“BYE!” Nico opened the door and began moving inside.

 

“Okay, see you at the record store!” Will cupped his hands around his mouth and stage yelled after him. And turned his body to look like he was going to walk off without him.

 

Nico didn't even pause to dignify Will’s challenge while shutting the door behind him. But after a few moments Will heard him casually offer “Okay, see you back at camp," through the closed door. The clarity of his voice was a little disturbing because he wasn't sure if he was ready to hear anything else. This was their first date, man. Oh well, if he did, he would either lie through his teeth, or would tease Nico about it ruthlessly.

 

Will took a large gulp of his coffee that was becoming even sweeter as it cooled and leaned against the wall staring blankly at the whorls in the wood. He thought about Nico’s face looking up at him expectantly. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why he’d done that. He was acting purely on impulse so maybe Nico’s mischievous nature was rubbing off on him. But he wondered if Nico felt as blasé as he made it seem. 

 

Nico was guarded, but had pretty unusual standards too. Will couldn’t decide whether he had somehow appealed to that odd, unpredictable side of him, or if it was just a good cover. He felt like the latter was more likely and resolved to make it up to him since he knew Nico didn't like apologies. His response was so unexpected, but he wasn’t sure what he _had_ expected Nico to do.

 

This whole morning had gone differently than he’d thought. He took another gulp and felt his face get tingly from either the caffeine or sugar intake. It wasn’t even that good, but he knew that every white chocolate mocha would remind him of today. He was already feeling nostalgic for this memory that was still being made. _Gods, I'm a loser._

 

Will thought back to Nico looking out at the street outside and wondered what he had been thinking. He didn’t know why, but he knew even at the time he wouldn’t forget the way the lighting hit Nico’s face, or the way his eyes had peered up at him through his bangs nervously, then away. He took a moment to ingrain the smell of the shop’s coffee and baking bread into his mind so he could almost recall it later. 

 

Will could hear the sink running through the walls, and was relieved that no other sounds had escaped. He felt giddy honestly, and even listening to Nico poop probably wouldn't do much to squash his mood. Maybe this was Cupid’s arrow. That might explain these rushes of emotions. Will wondered if Aphrodite, or maybe even his own father, had sent him. Not many people realized that Apollo was actually the one that taught him–

 

The bathroom door opened breaking his line of thought, but nobody stepped out. _Wait._ Will walked in and looked for Nico but considering it was a single bathroom, there wasn't anywhere for him to hide. _He really shadow travelled out of here!_

 

Will scoffed and clicked his tongue. "That little.."

 

"Call me little one more time," Nico's voice came from behind him.

 

Will was going to make some kind of comment about Houdini, but when he turned his head, his jaw met Nico's with a nauseating little crack. "What the _hell."_

 

Nico grunted. "Agh, sorry dude." 

 

"You're fine, but...like what was the goal here? Were you trying to headbutt me? What is this abuse? From where does this hostility come?"

 

"No! Like..."

 

Will realized Nico must have been standing on his toes to reach Will's jaw and it hit him. "You were trying to _kiss_ me!" Will couldn't not grin, this was beyond rare. Nico usually had both the upper hand and the last word. But not only had Will gotten him good earlier with his peck, his stealth attack _failed._ Nico basically admitted that he wanted to kiss Will twice. It was like Christmas; he was never letting this go. "You were trying to trick me into kissing you!"

 

"Oh, my gods," He was already blushing.

 

"You were hoping my mouth would line up with your mouth!" Will was beyond giddy, his voice was almost breaking. "So you could like, stick your tongue in it and swish it around with my tongue!" 

 

"I'm committing suicide," Nico concluded simply and started walking out of the quasi-hallway, but paused at the end to look back with an expression that clearly read _Ok, are you coming?_

 

Will jogged over to meet up with him before asking "What happened to not wanting our first kiss to be by a bathroom?"

 

"I mean, _yeah_ , but also revenge," Nico peered to the side at will with his patented death glare.

 

"Wow. You have gotten me." Will touched his hand to his heart for effect. "Thanks for your service, Captain America, but the Avengers have a new leader."

 

"I don't know these words," Nico deadpanned.

 

"So how long have you been dying to kiss me? Did my lips seem lonely? Just couldn't hold it in anymore? Had to take a trip to Tongue-Hell?" Will shot out questions rapid fire; Nico would need to walk a lot faster to get away from this.

 

"What are you even saying right now?" Nico squinted his eyes at Will while he opened the door for him.

 

"Oh, gentlemanly, thank you." 

 

"Sure." If Nico's tone could be any flatter it would break the laws of physics.

 

"So as I was saying–"

 

"Okay, listen." Nico cut him off, but didn't say anything else, so Will started right back up.

 

"Sorry, can't. I can't hear _anything_ over the cavernous echo of my completely empty mouth."

 

"No record is worth this."

 

"I know, like, if only there was a way to shut me up." 

 

" _What_. You were being a dick this whole time because you wanted _me_ to kiss you?"

 

"False. Being a dick is my favorite." Will changed his expression to exaggerated hurt and let his voice go up a few vulnerable pitches. "I feel like you should know that about me :("

 

Nico wagged his head before shoving Will's shoulder lightly and kept walking. "Nope, I see the situation clearly now." He paused and looked at Will with a triumphant smirk. "Therefore, I'm never kissing you." 

 

"What a world. Hey, Nico?" He didn't respond so much as stop jogging and grumble in Will's direction. Will figured Nico'd had enough for now and he was ready to stop playing chicken. "How do you feel about having our first kiss outside of a cafe?" 


	5. Will, It's Just Graffiti, You Can Relax.

"Nah."

 

_"What?"_ Will stopped walking altogether and Nico turned to face him.

 

"Oh, what? You thought I'd blush and nod and curl my toes while we kiss behind a dumpster?"

 

"Like..." Embarrassingly, Will _had_ kind of expected that. He knew it wasn't exactly Nico's style, but with everything in the past hour he thought he was seeing a new passive side of him that might've been into the idea. "...no." 

 

"Well, I'm convinced." 

 

"Listen."

 

"Uh, huh...?" Nico, curled his hand around his ear to be a dramatic little shit.

 

Will couldn't think of a way to save himself and decided to keep quiet to avoid digging himself in a deeper hole. He settled on giving the building to Nico's left his own version of a withering glare. Nico chuckled.

 

"Thought so. You have met me, right?" 

 

"Well you seemed so desperate to kiss me earlier–"

 

"Except _you_ were actually the one desperate to kiss _me,_ " he interjected. "But yes, sorry, by all means continue."

 

"And you didn't seem to care that much about the setting so..."

 

"I can make compromises in the name of revenge. I'm a vindictive guy, what do you want?"

 

"I–"

 

"Just kidding. I know what you want is to kiss me," Nico supplied before Will could finish again.

 

"Nah," Will said mimicking Nico's earlier tone and started walking again. 

 

"Oh?" Nico followed and curled his head toward Will with feigned interest. "Nah? Not interested anymore?"

 

"You're going to run into somebody if you don't look where you're going."

 

Nico glanced to the nearly empty sidewalk in front of them before turning back to Will. "Good point, thanks. Where are you even going?" 

 

"Oh." Will had gotten so worked up earlier he'd actually forgotten about Mela E Nis and realized they'd passed it a while back. "Just wanted to get some exercise," he said while turning on his heel back toward the shop, surprised he completely forgot their reason for even being out here. 

 

Nico put on a reporter voice and held and invisible mic to his mouth. "Personally I hate exercise, but when I do do it, I like to think about making out with babes to get me through. For the viewers at home, which babe do you think about kissing during your workouts?" In a flash, Nico jut the fist holding his pretend mic to Will's face.

 

Will did his best impression of a pseudo-humble celebrity. "That is an excellent question and I want to, first, thank you for asking it. Secondly, I think of myself. I wouldn't say that I have a narcissistic complex, so much as I wish there _could_ be someone out there as babely as myself."

 

Nico nodded thoughtfully and snapped his wrist back to his mouth then back to Will. "Right, of course. And of course none exist."

 

"Exactly, thank you for noticing. But then I ask myself, if he did exist, would I be comfortable sharing my #1 spot with someone else?" 

 

"Absolutely, and there's no guarantee he wouldn't steal it from you if you let yourself go." 

 

"Oh, that'll never happen."

 

"How can you be sure?" 

 

Will nudged Nico's shoulder with his knuckle and pointed to the store across the street but lowered his voice as he shifted to more of a dumb athlete voice. "Well I work out real hard every day. Because the harder I work, the harder I play." 

 

"Your past performances suggest that you're a loser and a virgin. What do you have to say to these allegations?" 

 

"You know, that doesn't surprise me. Alligators are pretty mean and it doesn't surprise me that they'd spread rumors. But I don't pay attention to them; I just keep myself focused on the game so I can play good." 

 

"And you do play good. Will Solace was ranke–"

 

"And, we're here," Will announced, ready to move back to more serious conversation.

 

"Good interview."

 

"Good interview," he agreed and opened the door for them both.

 

They walked inside and quiet buzzing of electric guitar and bass rippled over them. It was more or less a hole in the wall, with a concrete floor and industrial lighting. But, Will spotted numerous rows of records along the left side and back of the store. _Bingo._ Shirts and band merch were hung up haphazardly to the right. Two parallel counters were at the center of the store like a vertical equal sign. 

 

They practically had the shop to themselves except for the cashier. She was facing the far right wall with her back to the door, engrossed in whatever she was reading. Her hair was cotton candy blue and shaved on all sides but the top, where braids were gathered into a ponytail that reached her shoulders. Will could see that she was dark skinned and her ears had numerous cartilage piercings and lobes that were stretched to the size of golf balls. She was wearing an oversized black coat and even though he couldn't see her face, he was sure it matched the rest of her killer appearance.

 

She gave the two a friendly sounding "Welcome," but didn't look up from her book. "If you need anything let me know." They thanked her and she nodded, still reading. Will wondered if she was Mela or Nis, but doubted it.

 

He recognized the song gently playing in the background and bobbed his head in time appreciatively. Music stores tended to vary in quality and inventory, but if they were playing Grungy Post-Punk, Will felt confident they were in the right place. Even if they didn't find anything, Will firmly decided that he was into this place as he walked over to the back with Nico trailing behind. 

 

A first he thought the walls had a generic multicolored splatter paintjob, but on closer inspection Will could see that they were actually riddled with graffiti. It wasn't they type of sanitized, sanctioned graffiti some places invited customers to add to either, like a chalk wall at an artisanal urban bistro or something. It was spray painted, irregular and looked like it'd been there for a while. 

 

Will had a feeling squatters or delinquents had put it there when the space was vacant and the owners didn't give enough of a fuck to paint over it. Or they realized how good it looked but knew better than to cheapen it by showcasing it. Instead, the graffiti was covered with posters, clothes, and records without any apparent deliberation. Will couldn't get over it. This place wasn't using manufactured gimmicks to look cool, they just _were_ that cool. Whether the owners were lazy or brilliant, it definitely sent a message: this was the real deal. He was in love.

 

Will scanned the records in disbelief that they had utterly nailed it on their first try. The scope was so broad, the filing system was confusing at first. But he quickly picked up that the records were organized by genre alphabetically, then microgenre, then alphabetically again within each category. He walked to the H's to find the Hardcore section. _Electronic Hardcore, Hardcore Hip Hop,_ Post-Hardcore _, bingo times two._ He tried to see if there were any bands Nico would know or like. 

 

While he looked, Nico gravitated to the wall of shirts that matched his newfound musical tastes and just marveled at them. Will had been impressed too but heard Nico gasp beside him. He stopped sifting to catch him carefully scanning the bands and designs in front of him in utter reverence. It was hilarious to see Mr. Serious' eyes light up at a few rows of shitty knockoff shirts in this converted coke den, cool as it was. Will tried not to smile as the crush he'd been nursing all this time grew a little bigger. 

 

Nico turned to him and Will looked away quickly to the wall behind Nico’s head before he caught on. He made a show of squinting as if trying to read the band name clearly before turning his attention back to the records in front of him.

 

"Be right back," Nico said over his shoulder before stalking off. He came back a few moments later with a plastic shopping basket that belonged to a grocery store. Bootleg shopping baskets. God, Will loved this place. "Do you know who this song is by?"

 

"I think this is The Cure, but it might be Joy Division. They sound kinda similar and I started listening to them both around the same time so I mix 'em up a lot. Pretty sure it's The Cure though. Why, you like it?"

 

"Yeah, and the one that was playing before when we got here. See if you can find any of their records." Nico knelt down to find his sizes on the shelves and started furiously tossing shirt after shirt his basket.

 

"Uh," Will watched him and wondered if Nico was planning on shadow traveling out with them. The adrenaline of shoplifting and running was tempting, but Will actually wanted to be able to come back. "I think I probably could, but judging from what I can see, they have like actual originals, so they might get pricy..." 

 

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," Nico looked up to flash him a devilish grin.

 

"Wait, dude. I don't wanna get blacklisted. Plus it's only rebellion if you steal from big business." 

 

"What are you talking about?" He stood up straight to look at Will more head on.

 

"What are _you_ talking about?"

 

"I'm talking about..." Nico reached in his back pocket, "being the son of the god of wealth," he finished. He flipped his wallet open and pointed to a matte black credit card as proof. "I have no budget, man. Buy everything." 

 

"What, seriously? That's so cool." Will was stunned. He'd never had this kind of financial freedom or been on an actual shopping spree before. "Wait, you let me pay for my own coffee even though you're an infinity-aire?"

 

Nico shrugged. "Would've covered it if you asked."

 

"Nah, I'm joking." 

 

"I'm not. I really don't care, it's not like it's my money, or like it's gonna run out."

 

"Okay, fine you can be my sugar daddy then."

 

"I don't know what that is."

 

"I'm not going to explain it."

 

"Tsk, whatever. I bet you're a sugar daddy if anything."

 

Will snorted and closed his eyes pinching the bridge of his nose, trying not to laugh. "Gods, you're the worst. Fine. A sugar daddy is an older guy who buys a hot young person stuff in exchange for sex." 

 

"So in other words, you're calling yourself a prostitute."

 

"Not exactly, I'm calling you a lechy old man who's trying to buy love." 

 

"You're not capable of love." 

 

"Better watch out or I'm gonna find a new sugar daddy," 

 

_"Pffft!_ As if you could."

 

Will went back to the records, sliding an album out and looking it over pretending to be angry. 

 

Nico opted for a sigh-groan combo. "Will, I'm just kidding. You can be my sugar son."

 

Will made a very loud, very unintentional, squawk before he covered his mouth with his forearm to muffle his laughter. The store clerk raised her head for a moment before leaning back down to hold it up with her hand while she turned a page with the other. Nico looked at him with genuine confusion, awkwardly smiling along with Will's chuckles which only made it harder to stop. 

 

"Sorry, sorry. I'm okay. The term is sugar baby, so like," he coughed into his bicep. "It was just a really funny way to phrase it that's all. Sorry, sugar father." 

 

"I hate so much about that pet name." 

 

"Agreed. Never again, until I feel like saying it again."


	6. Am I bi now? What..?

"Even if you are rich, which is like such a huge thing to leave out I'm having trust issues by the way, there's no sense in buying stuff you don't need." Will looked at the already overflowing basket on the floor. "We should see if we can try on some of the clothes first at least, don't you think?" 

 

"Solid point, but I don't know if they have a dressing room." 

 

"Ignoring my emotional turmoil as usual, okay. Here, I'll ask." Nico nodded and went back to perusing merchandise and indiscriminately grabbing articles of clothing to bury the shopping basket alive. Will walked over to the counter because he actually did need something. Finally getting a glimpse of her from the front, he could tell she was pretty, but to his surprise and mild dismay, when he was standing in front of her he could see that she was closer to gorgeous. 

 

Like, _whoa._ Her eye makeup was smudged like she'd been up all night, but it accentuated the size of her eyes and the length of her lashes. The front of her baggy jacket was open, revealing her crop top and the tattoos that extended from her hip to her neck. He tried hard not blush and looked at the counter to keep from staring. 

 

"Cool hair. What's up?" She asked nonchalantly. If she noticed her effect on him she didn't acknowledge it, but she was probably used to this kind of thing. _Ugh_ , he didn't want to be one of those douches that ogles women or that judges people by their appearance.

 

"O-oh, thanks. Likewise. Um, I was wondering if you guys had like a dressing room or uh.." He tried to regard her normally, but as soon as he made eye contact his voice quavered with nerves. He wasn't even _into_ women like this usually.

 

"Or not?" She finished and fluttered her eyelashes at him in a bittersweet sarcastic way. Will nodded and felt like an idiot, but her smile assured him that her teasing was all in good fun. "Sorta, like we have a bathroom," she pointed to the inconspicuous door behind him."But it has a Gigantor full length mirror and everything, so it should do the trick." 

 

"Oh, thanks." Will didn't want to stop talking to her, but had nothing else to say. "I appreciate it." 

 

She giggled cutely. "No prob, but you'll probably need this. Hold on a sec." She bent down and grabbed something from under the counter and tossed it playfully to Will's chest. He caught it and saw it was a keychain shaped like a Venus symbol that had the words "Female Solidarity!" printed on it, with a single key on the ring. 

 

The jacket slid off her shoulder, but it made her good looks seem even more effortless rather than appearing disheveled. She had these huge, dark grayish eyes that somehow looked blue and green at the same time, but could pass for brown or black from a distance, and that's when it hit him. 

 

"Have we...spoken before?" He asked cautiously in case he was wrong. 

 

She just touched her index finger to her full and glossy lips in a conspiratorial _shh._

 

_"Lady, Aphrodite?"_ He whisper-shouted in shock.

 

"I couldn't resist!" She said in hushed excitement, "I mean, come _on_."

 

"This is such an honor!" 

 

"Don't worry about it. For real, chill. You don't want him to know, do you?" 

 

"Yeah, he'd probably kill me." 

 

"Doubt it. He's had his eye on you way before this morning. But you should get back, he's starting to wonder what's taking so long."

 

"Right, right. And thank you, really. I can't express my gratitude."

 

"You got it, dude," she said with a wink. "Just give me an offering now and then, kay?" 

 

"Absolutely. Thank you again." 

 

"Mhm!" Her beauty toned down before him from completely awe-inspiring to supermodel, to a more average pretty. "You should check out Pretty Girls Make Graves, their first album is to die for," she added more loudly. "They're in the Post-Punk section. We got some first edition vinyl Sonic Youth I bet you guys'd be into too." 

 

"Oh, wow. Okay, I'll check it out, thanks!" Aphrodite winked again in response and went back to her book, which Will could see now looked like an Iris message if he squinted through the mist. He wondered who she was watching, but wasn't about to snoop when she'd shown him so much favor.

 

He walked back to Nico still buzzed that a legit goddess thought his hair was cool. He'd always assumed that she stuck to conventional, Hollywood red carpet looks. He never expected that he'd see her somewhere like this,  or that she'd be as equally chill and badass as she'd been.  But beauty wasn't limited to the mainstream, so it made sense that she'd have a near infinite amount of types and incarnations. Still, she liked his hair and recommended _Sonic Youth._

 

"You're smily," Nico noted.

 

"Just in a good mood. They've got a bathroom, hope you don't mind potential grime."

 

"Unacceptable. I demand a pristine changing room be built this second."

 

Will rolled his eyes. "Hey, I think I've got the perfect model name for you."

 

Nico suddenly seemed sheepish. "Oh, you wanted me to model them for you?" 

 

"Well like, only if you want. But I can give you an outside opinion if you can't decide on something." 

 

"Okay..."

 

"No pressure, man."

 

"Nah, that's probably a good idea anyway. So what's my model name?"

 

"Okay, okay. I was thinking something exotic, but recognizable, you know, just the right tough of foreign, like," Will held his hands up and spread them slowly, pantomiming his name in lights. "Nico...di Angelo."

 

"I hate you." Nico picked up the basket from the bottom, since the pile of clothes extended well past the rim and rendered the short handles useless.

 

"At least we have things in common." Will made a puppydog face. "But it took forever for me to come up with that." Nico saddled him with an unimpressed glare. "Okay, fine. What about Tiny Smallguy? But spelled T-y-n-e, middle initial E. S-m-o-l-g-i?" 

 

"You're lucky my hands are full or I'd kick your ass right now." 

 

"Are you sure that's all you want to do to it?"

 

Nico blushed; he's so easy. "Where's the dressing room, dick?

 

"Talking about my ass and now dick, huh? Someone's mind is in the gutter. It's over here." 

 

As they walked to it, Aphrodite drifted past them. "I have to do inventory, so just knock if you're ready to check out. And there are security cameras, so no funny business you two." She wagged her finger and snorted to herself before closing the Staff Only door behind her. 

 

Nico looked appalled. "Do you think she heard you?" 

 

"Relax, Neeky. I'm pretty sure if she did, she knew it was a joke and was playing along. But she was probably just telling us not to clean out the cash register. 

 

"I would never!" Nico feigned indignance. 

 

"Really?"

 

"Eh." 

 

"But you have your unholy bank account."

 

He just shrugged indifferently. "I do what I want."

 

"Hoodlum."

 

"Hooligan." 

 

_"Ooh,_ good one." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too much with the band references? I didn't want to seem like I was being pushy with my musical tastes, but they are in a record store so it's seems more organic to actually name the bands they're listening to/talking about. Idk, what do you think?


	7. Um, Oh, Uh, Like, Nice Pants Or Whatever

Nico tried on several pairs of jeans that were too big. The handful of pairs that he owned weren't especially _un_ stylish, but were plain and didn't fit him especially well either. One of his jeans was several inches too long and had to be rolled up for Nico not to trip on them, so Will wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't even know about clothing measurements outside of large, medium, and small. Will knew that Nico wasn't ever really afforded the opportunity to have the teenage experience of just going shopping for fun. To him, clothes, like food or shelter, were another basic necessity. He dressed for stealth and utility; style wasn't really on his radar.

 

Although he wasn't showing it much, this was uncharted territory for him and he was bound to be skittish. So Will would suggest swapping them out in a casual tone to convey that this happened all the time and was to be expected no matter how off the pant sizes were. He had a hunch that anything else might make Nico feel bad for his lack of experience in "normal" stuff. He might even abort the whole thing if he felt really self-conscious. Because he knew these things, Will knew better than to draw too much attention to him or crack a joke at his expense. At least, not right now.

 

But after some trial and error, they were able to determine his waist and leg size. Will wasn't about to ask if Nico understood pant-sizes or try to explain them unprompted. Nico definitely wasn't about to ask him to explain them either. Showing him without showing him was his only practical option. So Will grabbed a business card and a pen from the counter and started writing size combinations down on the back as if he were trying to figure it out himself. 

 

"Okay, so your waist is probably about 27 inches, since the ripped ones were 26's, right? The ones that were a pain to get in and out of?"

 

"Uh...let me check." Nico sounded confident, and picked them up, but took a few seconds longer than he needed to, so Will took a look with him. 

 

"Huh. The label's not in the right place," he lied. "But I think they usually have it written on the waist..." Nico's expression was serious but his eyes were nervous, like he was trying to memorize directions without letting on that he didn't know his way around. He made a motion to look, but Will beat him to the punch and pointed at the sewn in tag. 

 

"Yep, thought so, 26." Will scratched out the 26x30 he'd written on the card. "But I thought the length in your legs was fine, what about you?"

 

"Yeah, not too long, or too short."

 

"Okay, so then I think your legs are a 30." Will scratched out a couple of other numbers and circled 27x30 on the card. "Anything that's 27x30 should work. Got it." He hoped he wasn't laying it on too thick, but was sure Nico understood what the numbers on the labels meant now.

 

He went off to fetch replacements that should fit and found some of his own additions that looked good. Will didn't know if Nico was watching or not, but he made frequent glances down at the card as if double-checking either way. He really hoped Nico didn't catch on to what he was doing, because he really didn't want him to feel babied or like Will was patronizing him.

 

But when he returned, he saw that Nico was trying on the jackets he'd picked out. He handed over the clothes and Nico went back in the bathroom. Some were skinny, others were just slimmer than his standard jeans, but they all flattered his thin frame. Not only were they more modern, but just having clothes that actually _fit_ changed his appearance completely. Will was in awe with how much of a difference an updated wardrobe made. When he walked out, it almost hurt in the same way looking directly at Aphrodite or the sun did. 

 

"They're kind of tight, are you sure this doesn't look stupid?"

 

"Uh, no. Like it's..you..you look good, man."

 

"Hilarious. Get me a regular size, thanks."

 

"No, no. I'm serious. Like I truly think they suit you. You look great."

 

Nico rubbed his elbow timidly. "Really?"

 

"Really."

 

Will tried to keep his face as neutral as possible whenever Nico would walk out of the dressing room to show off the hundred shirts he wanted. He offered his opinion when asked, but let Nico take the wheel in terms of selecting which clothes suited him. Will thought of it as a way for Nico to outwardly express his personality, which was good for him. Like most people who put up tough fronts, he suspected Nico was actually pretty insecure and the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass him. 

 

Will told himself that was why he was working so hard to maintain his composure, which was true, but part of what was making that difficult was how attractive Nico looked. He liked Nico regardless, of course, and acknowledged that he was still the same person in whatever he wore. But he couldn't help but react to the way these clothes fit on him, hanging loose and hugging him in all the right places. 

 

In the end, aside from the initial adjustments in size, Nico kept everything he'd wanted to try. The outfits Nico chose were similar, but no two looked exactly alike and they clearly exhibited Nico's taste and personality while simultaneously making him look ridiculously handsome. Will didn't know if it the clothes themselves were enchanted so that anything he chose looked good, or if it was the store's atmosphere that made it seem that way, but there was no way that literally _everything_ looked stunning on him and the goddess of beauty in the next room had nothing to do with it. But hey, he wasn't complaining.

 

Nico came out in a simple dark gray, bleach splattered shirt, ripped black jeans, and a black corduroy jacket with various band patches. "Are you sure the holes look okay?" He asked playing with some loose denim. "Doesn't it make me look like, I don't know.."

 

"Grungy?"

 

"Yeah, actually."

 

"Nah, it's pretty normal. Grunge isn't just music; it's an aesthetic. Think of it like slob chic™ you actually look uh, you know..." Nico looked up at him and it felt like he was using the five point palm exploding heart technique with his eyes. He shook his head and glared to show that he was clearly waiting for his answer, apparently not noticing that every one of his movements sent a gigavolt through Will's spine.

 

_I have dug myself in a hole and I am going to die. But seeing as I'm fresh out of life-alert buttons, here goes:_ "Like, you look hot and stuff; you did a good job...I think I'd be cool sharing my #1 hottest guy title with you...in summary." 

 

"Oh," He looked back down, dropping the loose fibers he'd been twirling in his fingers. "Um, thanks."

 

"For sure." 

 

Will bopped his forehead with the heel of his palm and scoffed.

 

"What?"

 

"I meant to say 'in _short'_ why can't I do anything right?"

 

Nico punched him in the ribs. "Cause then I'd have to hit you harder."

 

"I think you missed my _point."_ Will accepted Nico's declaration of war and began jabbing fingers at his stomach to tickle him. 

 

"Ugh, don't use physical puns" He laughed while he swatted Will away and the sound was equal parts gritty and boyish and beautiful. 

 

"Please, you love my puns."

 

Aphrodite walked out from wherever she'd been and Nico quickly dropped his arms and shyly looked down. She paid it no mind and whistled at him as she strolled back to the register. "Look at _you_. You sure clean up good."

 

Nico dipped his head lower, but spoke clearly and Will could see the faintest hint of a smile under his bangs. "Thank you. Is it okay if I wear it out?"


End file.
